Covid-19: screening in the EU of travelers from China unjustified, according to the ECDC

Europe 1 with AFP 5:02 p.m., December 29, 2022

The introduction of compulsory screening for Covid-19 within the European Union for travelers arriving from China - which is experiencing an explosion in cases - is "unjustified", estimated Thursday the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. diseases (ECDC).

EU countries “have relatively high levels of immunization and vaccination” and “variants circulating in China are already circulating in the EU,” ECDC said in a statement, explaining that such a measure would not is not necessary at the level of the European Union as a whole.

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The risk of importing infections "rather low"

For the European agency, "the potential infections" that can be imported are "rather low" compared to the number of infections already circulating on a daily basis.

Health systems "are now able to manage" the disease, she added.

The European Commission convened a meeting on Thursday to "discuss (...) possible measures for a coordinated approach" of EU states to the explosion of Covid cases in China.

Several countries including Italy or Japan, as well as the United States, have already decided to impose compulsory tests on all travelers coming from China.

The sudden end this month of China's "zero Covid" policy, which should encourage a resumption of overseas travel by Chinese people, came as the country faces the largest wave of infections in the world, amplified by the appearance of new variants.